Wisdom of the Ages

First the Three "B"s; now Elephants

First, let me thank Marga, from Florida, for sharing this analogy with me. Next, I want to admit that I'm well aware that with all the emails going from person to person, it's not as easy as it once was to come up with illustrations, stories or ideas that some of you haven't already seen. I guess I go by the slogan that was used by NBC back when the networks had summer reruns of their shows: "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you." New or not, this piece on elephants could be relevant for many people so I want to share it with you. By the way, if you didn't read the last posting on the Three "B"s, you can still read it in the archives.

Finally, my best wishes to you for a wonderful and exciting 2014; may you achieve "success" as you individually define it.

Elephants are powerful animals, able to lift logs with their trunks and knock trees over using their heads. You might think it strange then to find that elephants are usually kept tethered by their handlers with a length of rope or small chain that they could easily break. This is because they have been conditioned. This is accomplished by trainers through the use of a heavy metal chain to tether the elephants while they are still young. The elephants learn during their development that they cannot break the bonds and they associate them with their limits, boundaries and freedoms. Later, when they are fully grown and are of adult size and strength, they still believe they cannot break that bond and so they never really try. From then on, only a rope is necessary to keep them from breaking their bonds, freeing themselves and realizing their true strength.

You do realize I am not really talking about elephants at all don’t you?